Particularly in the area of equipping cabins in passenger aircraft, endeavours are being made to permit reconfiguration for example of the seat arrangement, as quickly and easily as possible. It seems desirable to adapt the passenger aircraft to the aspects involved in different flight distances, by a variation for example in the respective seat spacings in the longitudinal direction of the cabin. In that respect it can be provided that the cabin is to be reconfigured in the time between landing as an arrival flight and take-off as a departure flight.
A problem in this respect however is in particular that a series of service units is assigned to a seat, such units including in particular reading lamps and display units for example for calling a flight attendant. Such service units are generally controlled by the passenger with operating elements which are integrated in the seat or fitted to the seat. The operating elements themselves are thus also reconfigured when reconfiguring passenger seats, in which respect however the service units have to be respectively adapted to the altered seat situation by reorganisation measures on the interior cabin panelling, which is a complicated and expensive operation. Even a modular structure which is geared to relatively easy displacement of the service units or components which include such service units still always necessitates intervention procedures on the interior cabin panelling before service units and seat positions are matched to each other.
In particular reading lights are associated at the present time with each individual seat, in which case however they are generally not integrated in the seat. Conventionally reading lights which are fitted in the cabin wall therefore have to be suitably positioned by displacement of the supply units (PSU) in the longitudinal direction of the cabin.
Added to that is the fact that in particular reading lights are individually adjusted by means of a suitable tool in such a way that the illuminated area is optimum for the respective seat in the currently set position of the seat in the cabin. That is a working step which can only be carried out late in the process of production of a cabin for a given seat configuration and is time-intensive.
A wide range of possible structures and modes of operation can be used as lighting means for for example the reading lights in an aircraft cabin.
DE 198 43 330 A1 discloses for example fitting light emitting diodes (LEDs) for interior lighting or reading lights in the interior of an aircraft cabin.
US No 2003/0174499 A1 proposes actuating in specifically targeted fashion a selection of LEDs out of an arrangement of a plurality of LEDs, each of which is associated with a respective seat, to permit a greater variability in the lighting area or the kind of lighting afforded.
GB 2 437 162 A describes a lighting arrangement which can be adapted for different arrangements of aircraft passenger seats, in mutually juxtaposed relationship.
The problem of adaptation complication and effort for service units which is linked to reconfiguration of installation elements to be serviced such as for example a change in the seat spacing in the longitudinal direction of the cabin has not hitherto been satisfactorily tackled in the state of the art.